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MSP BACKS ‘SCOTTISH VISA’ PROPOSALS

SNP MSP for the Angus South Constituency, Graeme Dey, has backed proposals for a new Scottish Visa to address depopulation and cut skills gaps in Angus – problems set to be made worse by Brexit.

New UK Government immigration controls and the end of free movement are expected to exacerbate the threat of labour shortages and skills gaps across Scotland. But under proposals announced by the First Minister, migrants who want to live in Scotland could choose to apply for a Scottish Visa as an alternative to the existing immigration routes on offer.

With all of Scotland’s population growth for the next 25 years projected to come from migration, Mr Dey has said that Angus could face a demographic crisis under current UK Government plans. Without sufficient immigration, the prospect of an ageing population with fewer working-age taxpayers threatens to hit public services hard – including the NHS.

A cross-party report by Holyrood’s Finance Committee found that such demographic changes may jeopardise Scottish public spending unless additional powers are devolved. Yet despite support for the proposals from the likes of the Federation of Small Businesses, the National Farmers Union Scotland and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, little time for consideration preceded the UK Government’s dismissal of such a move.

With Downing Street simply stating that “immigration will remain a reserved matter”, backers of a Scottish Visa continue to push for serious engagement on the matter.

Commenting, Mr Dey said:

“The UK Government’s approach to immigration post-Brexit is just not in the interests of Angus South or Scotland as a whole, and actually threatens our ability to fund vital public services.

“One size does not fit all – we need to continue to attract people to live and work here, given the huge contribution this makes to the health of our economy and our communities.

“As Westminster’s Migration Advisory Committee has just agreed, the Tories’ proposed visa requirements are too restrictive. We need to ensure we have a system that meets the needs of our economy, including the important soft fruit sector here in Angus.

“There is international precedent for what the First Minister has set out, with regional divergence in the Canadian and Australian migration systems – sensible proposals that this Tory UK Government has dismissed out-of-hand.”